Persona 3: Second Chances
by Crimson Reaper Ragna
Summary: If you're given a second opportunity, would you take it? Makoto Yuki is given one in an attempt to regain his life, but darker forces are at work to prevent it. To succeed, he requires assistance from friends he has never known... and failure is not an option.
1. Chapter 1: Final Hopes

**Persona 3: Second Chances**

**By Crimson Reaper Ragna  
Co-authored by Omegaxis1**

**I'm deeply sorry to say that Persona 3 Plus 1 is under rewrite.**

**I underwent a lot of stress with Social Link OCs, some of which never showed up, and I'm sorry about that.**

**Please understand, and also know that I hope to surpass the original in every way possible.**

**Well, he will with my help. I'm the co-author Omegaxis1. We exchange the chapter and try to bring out its full potential.**

**Well, enjoy the first chapter.**

**We do not own Persona, we do not make Persona, and we do not own Atlus Entertainment. Disclaimer stated.**

* * *

_Chapter 1: Final Hopes_

A man stood in front of a mass of darkness, unflinching as was the formless entity in front of him. He stared it down, waiting for it to move. Seeing no movements in his enemy, he cleared his throat and smiled from behind his white mask. "Have you considered my proposal?" His statement was blunt, and straight to the point. No hesitation was visible in his words, and the mass of darkness before him knew that.

"It is a foolish idea. You will undoubtedly fail. The past cannot be changed, no matter how much power this youth wields. Surrender to my demands."

The man shook his head, before responding. "I'm afraid not, Nyarlatotep. I believe that in the end, I will be the victorious one in this deal." Nyaraltotep's foreign presence groaned. Making a deal that would endanger the entire fate of reality itself was foolish. True... he had been defeated once, but he had simply let his guard down. No... this time, the outcome would be different. He would reign victorious, and watch in amusement as humanity finally obliterated itself.

Just as they were meant to when they called him.

"Very well. Let it... begin." Nyarlatotep disappeared in silence as the man simply shook his head once more. "Once again, your arrogance shall be your very undoing. Just as it was when Tatsuya Suou defeated you..." he muttered before fading into the light.

* * *

_Elsewhere_

The young silverette looked out of the window on his train and smiled. After such a long wait, he was finally gonna return home. Sure, Yu had missed his parents like no tomorrow but some part of him had longed to return to Inaba, where he had the experience of a lifetime.

It was there that he made friends that he'd never forget, especially one. He actually got a girlfriend during his visit. Sure, he was popular, smart and funny, but one girl always loomed in his mind.

"Heh, wonder if she's gonna keep pulling off the detective look," he muttered to himself. Yu paused for a moment and looked around the train.

Something was off.

He couldn't feel the rails under the wheels or hear the sound of steel upon steel. Moving from his seat, but remembering his bag, the young Persona-user walked into the next car.

Nothing was in it.

Or the next car.

Or the car after that. It was almost as if every single person vanished.

Yu flipped his phone and dialed his uncle's number, but nearly dropped it when he saw that he had no reception.

Impossible. He had full bars earlier. What was going on? This felt somewhat familiar though… But from where and when did this happen again?

His question was answered when he felt something behind him and wheeled around to see a very familiar door.

The Velvet Room.

Why did appear there? The only times he had seen it was at the shopping district, the Midnight Channel entrance and the Hollow Forest. And another thing, why was it here in the first place? His journey was over. The world was at peace. So what was left here anyways? With no other options, Yu reached into his pocket and pulled out his old Velvet Key. It still shimmered even though it was over a year old. Closing his eyes, he inserted it into the door and felt the world around him change.

He could not have anticipated what happened next. Instead of arriving in the limo that he had become accustomed to during his visits, he arrived in what appeared to be a long hallway. Well, this was new.

It was black all around him, and in the far distance was the same door that appeared earlier. At least, what appeared to be so. Deciding to just go with it, Yu proceeded forward, towards the faint blue light of the door.

* * *

_Tokyo, in a different universe..._

A young man in a white and blue hoodie walked down a bustling street. His hood sported two bunny ear attachments and an MP3 was hanging from a strap around his neck. His pitch black hair waved in the breeze as he admired the crowd.

The man continued to walk until his phone let out a noise singling he had received a new message. Pulling it out and standing against a building, he opened his phone and checked his message.

The sender caught his eye immediately, as this 'Igor' was no name he had ever heard before. But even moreso was the subject.

Persona was all that was listed.

He opened it up, and before he could even read a block of text, the entire world around him turned white, and he felt himself lose his balance. Before he could attempt to regain his composure, his body began to lift off the ground, and float towards what felt like the sky.

And it wasn't long before he lost the ability to think, and faint from exhaustion.

* * *

_Great Seal_

How long has it been since he became the Great Seal…? How long has he been holding off the sin of mankind… Erebus? How long will he continue to live here…? No, he shouldn't question that. He chose to become the Great Seal of his own free will… yet sometimes his mind questions if it was worth it…

He gave up more than his life… no, he didn't die. He lives on still, but he was in a state worse than dead… He was not alive. He was not dead. He was… existing. And those he cared for still remained there in the world that he believed will one day stop wishing for The Fall.

What was everyone doing now…?

Did Junpei finally become that man that Chidori would fall for? Or Fuuka, is she doing well? Hopefully her cooking's getting better. Mitsuru is most likely fine, and she has Akihiko with her. Akihiko's probably going to be a cop. He's always seen that in him. Ken's probably gotten a lot taller now. Komamura's doing fine, since he's a dog and can take care of himself.

Aigis… was she able to feel more like a human? She was there with him when he fell into his slumber as the Great Seal. He gave her his power because she was still questioning who she was. She needed her own journey because she needed to find herself. That was why he gave her his power…

And Yukari… he felt her pain back then. He could somehow hear her voice and the voices of his friends. Her desire just to be with him again. She would even sacrifice the world for him. How he missed her. He truly wished that he could have another chance…

Yet Makoto Yuki knew that that would never happen. He made his choice… and now he was going to exist as he was for all of eternity. But these memories… just remembering them… no, they didn't hurt, but rather, they were a reminder of why he made his choice. He wasn't doing it for himself, but for them.

They were… his precious friends… And it was from them that he had gained the strength to keep his will going.

…?

Something was wrong… Makoto could feel it. The dimensions… they were twisting, turning, a great force was coursing through the universe, and Makoto could feel it completely, being the wielder of the Universe Arcana. In fact, he could literally feel the force going right through him, and he was feeling like he was going to be torn to pieces.

Suddenly Makoto felt his eyes open and sees a bright light and tried to see what was going on after the light faded. Wait… he felt like he was more… physical, rather than ethereal now… what was… going on…?

Looking forward, Makoto saw the Velvet Room door appear before him. Why was it here? Why did it come now? Makoto slowly felt himself walk up to the door, and upon reaching it, pulled out his blue key from so long ago. Inserting it, he was somewhat relieved to see the familiar light that shined whenever he entered.

But when it subsided, he was not in the Velvet Room that he had come to know.

It was not an elevator that constantly ascended with pieces of furniture against the walls. It was a simple room with a blue floor, blue walls... and Igor, sitting on the couch that he remembered seeing. But Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen. Why? Well, at least he had a familiar face to talk to this time.

But then, he noticed a different person- one with silver hair and a black jacket- standing in front of the old man who managed the small room. Turning around, the silver haired boy saw the the bluenette and raised an eyebrow, confused by his appearance.

"Who're you? Another Persona-user?" he asked.

Makoto was caught off guard by this question. He knew that many other people had the potential to wield the Persona ability, but two people in the Velvet Room at the same time...? It was not normal. He had never seen it happen through out his whole journey.

But there's a first chance for everything, he thought.

Makoto walked towards the young man and extended his arm. "Makoto Yuki. I'm a Persona-user, like you. At least, I assume you're one?" The other youth nodded and returned the gesture, shaking Makoto's hand. "Yeah. I'm Yu Narukami. Nice to meet you, Makoto."

"Likewise," Yuki exclaimed. He was glad to be able to talk with someone living and breathing for the first time in years. After concluding their introductions, the two Persona-users turned to Igor and Yu broke the ice.

"I haven't seen you in a long time, Igor. I guess I should thank you again for all the times you aided me during my battles." Makoto looked at Yu, eyes wide. "You know him?"

Yu nodded and smiled. "He helped me during my time in Inaba. There was a bizarre murder case going on, and he helped me find the real person behind it," he explained, though Makoto didn't understand what he meant, so he simply nodded with a straight poker face that he usually has and then turn his gaze back to Igor, who wore the same smile he had become accustomed to. Feeling the moment was right, Igor began to speak.

"Before I tell you what is happening, there is but one more guest to arrive," he said, and gestured to another corridor that appeared and from there, a young girl, about the two Persona-users age with auburn hair tied in a ponytail and red eyes. She wore the same uniform that Makoto wore, but for girls. Makoto was curious as to who she was. Well, moreso than Yu. While she looked confused by the other two people, she seemed to recognize Igor.

"There, so you are all present here. Now, allow me to explain to you why you are all here…" Igor said, and then watched the three, and then eyed Makoto and the new girl. "Before anything, first you must be aware of something. Makoto Yuki. Minako Arisato."

The girl, Minako stiffened, and then looked at Makoto to know why he was talking to them first. "Um… so what is it that you want us to be… aware of?" she asked. Makoto nodded to gesture that he was thinking the same thing.

"Look at each other. To your eyes, it is a different person, but in truth, you are both one and the same," Igor said. All three were confused by what he said, so Igor continued. "Makoto and Minako. You are two different people in appearance, but in actuality, you are the same soul, but from different worlds. Worlds parallel to one another."

Now he was making sense… somewhat. It was actually very hard to understand him at times, cause he tended to talk so cryptically. But from what he said, Makoto and Minako… were the same person, just from parallel worlds.

Minako looked at Makoto and then Igor, and pointed at Makoto and then to herself. "You mean, he's me and I'm him?" she questioned, clearly finding it hard to believe.

Makoto however wasn't finding it too hard to believe. Talk of parallel universes were always a mention in jokes, but no one ever really considered that it might exist. So that would mean that this Minako is Makoto if he were to be born as a girl and raised as one. Her personality though seemed to be the exact opposite of Makoto's though. Well… that meant that his alternate self was… a complete and total opposite of him in every way, literally.

Yu felt like he was the third wheel in the conversation, but waited patiently for what it was that he was needed for.

"Now, just as you two are one and the same, so too are your fates," he said, making the two alternates realize the meaning. Just like Makoto, Minako had also given up her life to become the Great Seal to hold off Erebus. But that still didn't explain why they were here. Why couldn't Igor just tell them what was going on.

"Now that you know about each other, I shall now tell you the reason you have come here. You see… you have both been given a second chance. A chance to return to the beginning of your journey for another chance to try and change your fate from the one that you had chosen to take upon," he explained, making both of them widen their eyes in shock.

A… another chance? "W-why?" Makoto found himself asking. Even he couldn't hold back the desire to talk, and even his poker face was breaking from this.

Igor shook his head. "At this moment, it is something that cannot be said, as you are not ready for it. However, what you must know is that you have another chance. And you, Yu Narukami, are going with them, to assist them with your power to help alter their fate. All three will go to the same world, at the same time of the beginning of their journeys." Now Yu understood what it was that he was brought for.

"But why me? I can understand if it's just them, but why do I have to come as well?" he asked. Sure, he didn't actually mind, but he couldn't help but feel curious about this. He didn't know either of them, and from the sounds of it, he was going to have to join them, but the question was… why?

"All will be understood in time, but be aware. It will not be just you three that will be the changes in history. Many things that hadn't happened before will happen now. Many things will stand not to reason, but you cannot expect what happened before to happen now. Anything can happen," Igor warned. "Now… go and take upon the steps of your journey, and attempt to carve out a new future for yourselves…"

With that, a new door appeared out of nowhere, and they looked at it. They looked at each other, and had many questions, but wouldn't be answered at this moment. But it seemed like they had a choice in this. However, Makoto and Minako knew their answer, and soon enough, Yu decided that he should try this as well. Whatever the case, they would need each other to get through this, or they'd probably fail again. The door opened in a bright light, and all three walked in, to begin their new journey.

As the door closed, and the dimensions were now being distorted, even the Velvet Room seemed like it would somehow collapse. Igor's usually smile faltered a little at that. "Good luck… May you finally find the future that you desired from your hearts…"

* * *

**Well, that's that. How was the first chapter of the rewrite? Interesting? Hopefully it's better than the one from before.**

**So yeah, Minato Arisato is going to be Makoto Yuki here, and Minako will remain the same. A little different, but the concept will be sort of the same.**

**Well, if you enjoyed it, please review. Any comments are welcome and we are open for criticism.**

**Hello, I'm the uploading author, Crimson Reaper Ragna. Fans may know me as Shunto.**

**And I hope that this story will keep you entertained as it progresses.**

**Please R&R and again, criticize if necessary. **


	2. Chapter 2: Fates Intertwined

**Persona 3: Second Chances**

**The second chapter is here already?! (gasp) Inconceivable!**

**Well, to be fair, I guess I was really lazy with the original… so I'll pay more attention to this one.**

**Omegaxis1: Wrong. Even this one took a hell long time. I had to make you get your butt off of your games and back to work.**

**CCRagna: (sniff) That's harsh... true, but still...**

**Now, even though it was stated… I don't own Atlus, Persona, or any character that appears in the games. They all belong to Atlus, I do not endorse or sell their products.**

**With all that nonsense out of the way… let's get to the real entertainment.**

* * *

_Chapter 2: Fates Intertwined_

_Normal POV:_

As the three Persona-users stepped through the light, instantly, they were going to the moment when Makoto and Minako arrived at Iwatodai, however, unbeknownst to them, the very fabric of space and time was being warped and distorted, and the surge of energy caused certain things to alter in the restart for the two counterparts and newcomer.

As the light subsided, the three Persona-users found themselves onboard a monorail, to which Makoto and Minako recognized immediately.

"The train to Iwatodai…" Minako was the first to break the silence. "I've actually returned… I'm… actually back…" Noticing her parallel half's face, she blushed ferociously and waved her arms in a sort of apologetic manner. "Uh, no offense to you or anything Makoto-kun! Heh heh…" she said. It was still weird for her that she was meeting her parallel world counterpart, and that it was a boy nonetheless.

The blue haired youth shrugged and popped on his earphones, turning on his MP3 as he did so. Soon, all noise around him drowned out as the simple, yet familiar melody of Burn My Dread played throughout his head. He noticed that Minako had done the same, donning very similar earphones with a very similar MP3.

But since they were the same person, in a way, he thought nothing more of it. Only Yu, their new friend, was confused by this sudden turn of events.

All he did was open his phone and stare at it for what seemed like an eternity. Curious, Makoto leaned back in his seat to catch a glimpse, and eventually, he did.

It was a photo of him and a blue haired girl in a similar blue outfit. Her face was beaming with a bright smile as she held onto Yu's arm tightly, while the young man smiled as well. Both of their eyes were closed, and Makoto could tell they were not just friends- they were lovers.

Like him and Yukari.

Yuki sighed deeply when her name arose in his mind. Their relationship was complicated, but they were lovers in the end.

It was pretty amusing that he was about to witness the exact same event in about thirty or so minutes, he thought. Eventually, his music player shuffled to the next song, and then the next.

Thirty minutes went by before the train screeched to a halt at the station, where the three youths made their departure. As they got off, Minako gripped her hands together and shivered.

"Damn, its cold… should've brought my scarf… dammit..." she shivered as she rubbed her hands together in an attempt to get warm.

Yu rolled his eyes and shrugged. "What's the date? If it's April, then I'm not surprised."

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, it's April 5th… Something wrong?" he asked. Yu shook his head and heaved his black bag- which he had just noticed a few minutes ago- over his shoulder. "No, just wondering. Hey, where're we going right now?" Makoto looked at his watch and sighed. "About three more minutes and then we'll head off."

Minako leaned forwards to look at the sky and shuddered at the sight of the moon. "Jeez, the moon always creep me out, especially when they're full... Those damn operations..." she stated, remembering the awful fights that she'd been in, some worse than others.

Yu didn't know what she was talking about, but Makoto would reveal it in due time. At least, that's what he thought, but his intuition told him anyway. He had a knack for that kind of stuff. Three minutes passed as midnight came around the corner, and Yu put his hand over his mouth and yawned heavily.

"I'm beat," he said. "We gonna head out sooner or later?" he asked, already being rather chummy with them, since he realizes that he's gonna be stuck with them for quite some time. Makoto stepped forward and looked at the digital clock on the wall.

In a single minute, it went blank. The lights shut off as well, and Minako's MP3 shut off instantly. Yu was shocked at the sudden turn of events. "What... how...?" he questioned, never having seen this kind of phenomena happen, especially since everything turned green around them. Minako shuddered as she looked around.

"It's, uh, hard to explain. Seriously, don't ask," Minako said, thinking that Yu might as well learn as Makoto did back then. Yu stared at her for a few seconds before shrugging and walking towards the exit of the station with Makoto, and his female opposite close behind.

Once they emerged from the station stop, Yu looked around the area- no people, just like on the train from what seemed like just an hour ago. Just coffins, standing upright, as if there were people sleeping inside of them. He _wanted _answers, but Minako told him that she'd tell him eventually. So he kept his mouth shut and followed Makoto through the dark, eerie streets.

* * *

_Elsewhere, in Iwatodai_

The young man in the white jacket finally got up, rubbing his head slightly. "Jeez, I gotta stop giving into peer pressure..." He stopped talking when he realized that his surroundings had changed drastically- he was definitely not in Tokyo, or one of its districts. "Okay... please be a dream," he said, pinching his cheek and wincing when he felt the pain. Aware that he was very much awake, he got up, brushed his pants legs and began walking through the streets.

What had happened, he thought? His question was interrupted by a growl from behind him. As he turned around, he froze. Right in front of him was a giant beetle wearing a mask, and it was glaring at him with killing intention.

Acting on instinct, the young man grabbed his phone from his pocket and pressed the ON button. Nothing happened.

Again, and no response. No matter how much he pressed or held the ON button, the phone stayed a blank screen. Not possible, he thought. He had full battery when he answered the email from before.

Pocketing his phone, he turned around and began to run, the beetle chasing after him. He turned corners, determined to lose it, but the beetle wouldn't give up- it just kept chasing him. He turned one last corner and was met with a dead end, and the beetle was right around the corner. He backed up, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon of sorts. But the beetle finally found him. Closing his eyes, the young man prepared for the worst...

Which never came.

Instead, he heard a high-pitched scream and opened his eyes to see a cloaked figure with a long, steel blade. He sank to his knees and began to pant heavily, suddenly feeling all his strength being sapped from him for some reason.

"I... what... who're you...?" he asked the mysterious stranger. The cloaked figure looked down at the young man and watched as he fainted from exhaustion. The figure picked him up and carried him out of the alley to an unknown destination, which turned out to be an abandoned apartment building, that people say is haunted and that anyone that comes in would get cursed. The figure set the young man on the couch and checked his ID that was in his wallet.

Hibiki Kuze, age 18.

The man sat on a chair, facing outwards and gripped his shoulder in pain. Damn, the Shadows were really at it for some reason. Well, putting that aside, the figure was shocked to find another human here, in the Dark Hour. How long has it been since he met another human here? A very long time… was he a prisoner too? No, he doubted it, cause otherwise he wouldn't have freaked out and passed out like that.

He noticed the newcomer waking up, as Hibiki sat up, rubbing his head groggily and looking at him a few seconds later. He stood up, brushed his pants legs and sat back down.

"Why'd you save me? I'm not that rich," he questioned, and the figure had an urge to roll his eyes at his question.

"I felt like it," he responded, turning away. Hibiki stared, shrugged and leaned into the couch, and examined the cloaked man. He couldn't tell much, but from the looks of it, he might be about his age, maybe. But something was weird about him. For some reason, Hibiki couldn't get a good read on him, like everything about this cloaked man was an enigma or something.

"So who are you?" he decided to ask.

The figure had looked up to him and was silent. "It's been a long time since I actually had to answer that kind of question, and I can barely even remember it anymore, so I doubt that I can answer that..." the figure explained, raising more questions in his mind.

This guy was the epitome of mystery…

* * *

_Makoto POV_

While Yu was intrigued by the wonders of the Dark Hour, I just looked at how everything was still the same, but… I was back. I was here, and I was no longer trapped in an eternal void of being the Great Seal. Looking to my right, I noticed how my counterpart was being silent, and I understood that she must be feeling exactly what I felt as well.

Now that I think about it, if we were the same being, and lived similar lives, then she must have become the Great Seal, giving up her entire existence for the lives of everyone in her world. I wonder how things will be now that all three of us are here. Igor had said that things will not be the same as it had been when I had first began my journey, and I wonder if this was it…

No, it couldn't be, because this part was without saying anything, meaning that there will be more to come.

"Let's hurry and get to the dorm," Minako suggested, and Yu and I nodded and headed to the dormitory.

As we walked and got to the building with the words GEKKOUKON HIGH SCHOOL LIVING QUARTERS emblazoned on the front, I was the first to enter through it.

The second we were fully inside, a voice spoke out. "Welcome." The voice was familiar, as Minako and I looked to see my, or rather 'our', old friend, the boy with pale skin, short shaggy black hair, and pale blue eyes, and the prison like clothing, who had named himself 'Pharos' in the future, and later on, would become 'Ryoji', but Minako and I both knew who he really was… he was the Arcana that was never meant to be… Death…

…!? Wait… maybe…

My thoughts were interrupted when Yu suddenly spoke. "Whoa! When did this kid get here?" It was not surprising that he was surprised. He was the only one that was new to this kind of thing.

"Um… like I said, I'll explain this later," Minako said to him, sweatdropping. Pharos then extended a familiar contract to us. "If you three are going to proceed, then… please. Sign here. It's a contract. There's no need to be scared. It only binds you to accepting full responsibilities for your actions." Looking at the contract, the same set of words were there.

'I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.'

Yu seemed surprised, but held his peace for now. The strange thing was that Pharos had been expecting all three of is there, rather than just me. So… who does Pharos belong to? Me? Minako? Or possibly Yu? So many questions plagued my mind.

We all signed the contract with our names:

Makoto Yuki

Minako Arisato

Yu Narukami

When that was done, Pharos nodded. "… Very well. Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away. And so it begins…" With that, he disappeared, melting into the shadows.

"Who's there!?" a voice called out and I could feel my heart skipping a beat. That voice… so long have I yearned to hear that voice in my time as the Great Seal…

We all turned to see… Yukari Takeba, standing there. And she has a gun ready to point at us. Just like old times…

* * *

_Normal POV: Elsewhere…_

"So where exactly are we?" Hibiki asked, looking around the apartment building. "And are you not even gonna let me see your face? Ditch the cloak, what are you, some sort of hunter or something? News flash, the cloak is not the best sense of fashion."

The figure just remained silent and suddenly tensed, or appeared to be, as he stood up and looked at Hibiki. "It's almost time. Listen, when the Dark Hour comes again, come here immediately. Otherwise you'll be attacked again," he stated. Hibiki was confused and was about to ask what he was saying, when suddenly, everything looked normal and the green color was gone… and so was the figure.

"W-what the hell?!" Hibiki nearly shouted, as he rubbed his eyes furiously. "Okay… weird guy was here one second, gone the next. It's official, I'm going crazy. Maybe I'm just dreaming. I'll just take this bed, close my eyes, and when I wake up, I'll be back to a place where things make sense."

With that, he closed his eyes, and fell into slumber.

* * *

**Well, this is the end of the chapter. Can anyone guess what happened so far? Those that read the original story should know some things here, but if not, then keep reading on as the chapters are updated.**

**Another thing to note. Crimson Reader Ragna, or Shunto as I call him, is going to alternate the updates from this story to another story, Tales of Dissidia.**

**So if we update weekly sort of, one week it'll be this story, the next week will be Dissidia.**

**CCR: Also, on a side-note with the Dissidia fanfic, please keep in mind that some of the characters appearing in it are from JP-only releases.**

**Well, be sure to review after you finish reading. We'd like more reviews than the last chapter, and are willing to take any advice you've got. If not, just review your thoughts on the chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3: Duel Reunion

**Persona 3: Second Chances**

**Crimson Reaper Ragna, Co-authored by Omegaxis1**

**Huge apology for the long, LONG wait for this chapter. Tales of Dissidia was taking a long time and Microsoft word is being… difficult. Very difficult, in fact.**

**I lost a lot of progress and I am very sorry for that. Please know that your wait is not in vain and chapter 3 is going to be as good as it comes.**

**Omegaxis1: I am really sorry everyone that Shunto here cannot seem to be able to keep a schedule. Even I can do that with my story. Well, can't be helped with the bad luck he possesses. Anyone that likes Megaman and Beyblade should read my stories if you can.**

**Also, please review here a bit more. We'd like to surpass the reviews here from the last story. So please help us by reviewing. A single review in each chapter helps us all a great deal.**

**We do not own Persona nor Shin Megami Tensei. Said franchises are property of Atlus. If we did own the series… then I'd make them produce a PS Vita/PS3 remake of SMT Nocturne with DM3 Dante or Raidou Kuzanohe. Or both.**

* * *

_Chapter 3: Dual Reunion_

_Minako's POV_

Hearing Yukari's voice made me realize that this was real. Up until now, part of me believed I was living a dream. Yeah, I know I'm with a_guy_counterpart of myself, but it wasn't the strangest thing I've ever seen.

I didn't run towards her though; we had gone back to April 4th, 2009 and started the entire journey over. If I did that… nope, not gonna think about it. I glanced over to Makoto-kun to see what was going on with him- if he was a guy… maybe he and Yukari got together? I didn't know, but one can only hope.

I guess my hunch was spot-on, because Makoto's eyes simply widened as he looked at the young girl of the Lovers Arcana. Yukari looked puzzled as my alternate self blinked and rubbed his eyes.

Yukari narrowed her eyes, probably somewhat convinced that we were all an enemy. Well, after all, it happened the first time, so it shouldn't be any different now. Though I do wonder how thing'll be now that there are three of us instead of just me.

As Yukari hurriedly reached for the Evoker on her leg holster and prepared to summon her Persona… when…

"Takeba, wait!" Right on cue. It feels awesome to predict these kinds of things.

A dignified, yet determined female voice echoed throughout the moonlit dorm as a young lady with scarlet hair appeared from behind the corner. The lights slowly came back on as the brunette girl smiled in relief.

Ah, Mitsuru. What else can I say about her? She's dignified, wealthy, smart, popular and the Student Council president. Stuff like that comes around… pretty much once in a lifetime. Only ones that seem to actually know her on a personal level were Akihiko, Shinjiro, Yukari, and myself. Well, that's pretty much everyone I knew of, really.

Or to be more straightforward, everyone I need to disclose at this point.

I suppose I should also mention she's the leader of SEES, but that's not important right now. Yu-san was the most confused by this, but he kept his cool and followed the two of us- Makoto-kun and I- towards where the Kirijo heiress was standing. Brushing her lock of hair from her face she smiled and folded her arms.

"I didn't think the three of you would arrive so late, nor on the same day. I suppose fate had its own plans in store, hm?"

Makoto-kun nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You were expecting us?" he asked them. He didn't even flinch nor stutter. Pretty good acting I'd say.

I was actually thinking the same thing, though. All _three_ of us? That didn't make sense at all. Should they be expecting me? Or Makoto-kun? Argh, all this time travel things makes me so confused. Really, it made absolutely no sense at all. If anyone could figure this out, then they'd have to be Igor. He seems to know _everything_ for some reason.

Yukari's gaze shifted from us to Mitsuru, slowly, before she spoke up.

"Who are they?" Mitsuru cleared her throat and twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers. "They're transfer students," she said. "It was a last minute decision to add them here though."

Yukari-san tensed up and a small tinge of rosy pink crossed her cheeks. "Is it... okay for them to be here?" Mitsuru shrugged. "We'll see." Wow. It was like watching a movie since everything was so word-for-word.

Yu slumped onto the couch and rubbed his silver hair. "Alright, quick question; who're you?"

Mitsuru chuckled and place one hand on her hip. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, a senior. This is Yukari Takeba. Coming this spring, she'll be a junior like you three." Yukari smiled and turned to face us. "Hi. I'm Yukari." Makoto smiled slightly and extended his arm. "I'm Makoto Yuki. This is Minako Arisato and that's Yu Narukami."

Yu sat up and smiled before clearing his throat yet again. "One more question; why are you carrying a _gun?_" Yukari gasped in surprise and struggled to find an answer. I could hardly blame her since it's kinda weird to see a high school student carry a gun. Mitsuru answered for her.

"You know how it is today. Self-defense is very important, especially around here." I guess Yu-kun was satisfied with that answer because he smiled and shrugged. "Alright. Hey, where are we gonna stay? Just wondering."

Yu-kun seems to accept the situation just like that, so I guess he must have already experienced some weird things already.

Yukari snapped her fingers, and shook her head. "Oh yeah. I'll show you guys to your rooms. Follow me."

Yukari-san led us up the stairs and to the right and pointed to the two rooms on the far end. "Alright, Makoto-kun and Yu-kun, these are your rooms. Guys are on the second floor and girls are on the second floor. Also... don't lose your room key or you will never hear the end of it." I nodded and was about to head upstairs before Yukari stopped us.

"One more thing... on your way here... did you see anything... strange?" I shot out and answer before anyone else could. "Nope, nothing at all." Yu-kun stared at me like I was insane while Yukari stood there dumbfounded, while Makoto was… unexpressive. Is he seriously supposed to be me? I really wonder sometimes.

Yukari-chan sighed and shrugged, too exhausted to argue. "Whatever... goodnight. Minako-san, follow me." I nodded and waved goodnight to the two boys as I headed to my room with Yukari. Once I got there, I walked to the bed, and collapsed from exhaustion.

This is gonna be a long journey...

* * *

_Normal POV_

Makoto Yuki could not sleep that night.

He felt safe in his old dorm room that he had spent countless nights in, the room that he had wanted to see many times over as the Great Seal. But something kept him awake. There were just so many things in his mind that was making him incapable of sleeping.

Deciding to confide in his new friends, Makoto snuck out of his room and headed towards Yu's room, silently knocking on the door. He heard movement and sure enough, the door opened to reveal Yu's face, half-asleep.

"What's up," the silverette asked. He yawned slightly but smiled all the same. Makoto put his finger to his lips as a single to be quiet, which Yu quickly acknowledged.

"I'm gonna go get Minako," he whispered. "Then let's go to my room."

Yu looked perplexed. "Why not outside?"

Makoto shook his head and looked around to make sure no one else was present. "Outside is dangerous at night. Really dangerous."

Yu nodded and quietly walked to Makoto's dorm room while the young hero walked upstairs to get his alternate self. Again, he quietly knocked on the door and watched as Minako opened it up.

"What's wrong?"

Makoto looked at her with his usual expression, "Come downstairs to my room. We need to talk about something really important."

Minako blushed slightly to which Makoto quickly reassured her. "No, you, me and Yu-kun." Makoto saw too many girls with a similar expression and did not need to add to his list that he seduced his parallel counterpart too. And Makoto only had eyes for one girl, and Minako was… wait, was it possible that she had a similar situation, but with guys?

Minako smiled and nodded. "Got it. Sorry about the blushing. I was... well... nothing." She locked her door and, along with Makoto, walked down the stairs towards his room. When they arrived, her male counterpart locked the door and sat down. Yu pulled out a small flashlight to illuminate the floor slightly, but made sure to not give away the fact that they were wide awake to the other people in the living quarters.

Yu was the first to speak. "Alright, what is it, Makoto?"

Looking around, Makoto softly began to speak.

"Something's wrong here. If we really did go back in time, Mitsuru shouldn't have expected all three of us. I had originally thought that maybe she would have been expecting either me or Minako, but certainly not you as well, Yu. But instead, she had expected all three of us."

Minako snapped her fingers, putting something together. "Yeah... he's right. That's been bugging me for a while as well."

Deciding to raise an opinion, Yu put his finger to his chin. "You think maybe Igor had some hand in this?"

Minako shrugged. "It's possible. He's pretty powerful, and not to mention he can make Personas. But I didn't think he could alter time..." Makoto shook his head though.

"Actually… didn't Igor say that things wouldn't be the exact same as before? Maybe this is what he meant," Makoto reasoned, and that seemed to get some nodding from the other two. "It makes sense if we think that our coming back in time with a parallel counterpart of me, and you as well, may have already altered the course of history."

"So what… is everything going to be different for us now?" Minako questioned. Yu, however, shrugged. "Doesn't matter if it's different, right? I'm sure with us three, it should be easy to handle any situation that comes our way, shouldn't it?"

Makoto leaned back. "I don't know… everything that's happening… to me, it really feels like we're all part of some big conspiracy or something…" Makoto commented. Being the Great Seal for so long had its own quirks, such as gaining a rather higher understanding of things… or was it only applying to just Makoto?

"Like a higher power at work, right?" Minako said, confirming that no, it was not just Makoto. Minako seemed to have also gained some wisdom of being her own world's Great Seal.

Yu nodded. "Yeah. I've felt that too... actually, now that I think about it, have either of you ever seen a blue butterfly?"

Makoto's eyes widened. "You... know about that?"

Minako was shocked. "All of us saw the butterfly sometime in our journeys..."

Yu nodded. "For me, I saw them pretty much throughout my life. When I approached them, I felt at ease. I felt... calm."

Makoto looked at the floor, still trying to comprehend what Yu had said. "For me... and most likely Minako as well... I saw a blue butterfly on the train ride to Iwatodai. It just flew by, and I heard a voice."

Minako sat up, intrigued. "What did it say?"

"It said... 'Time waits for no one. It delivers all equally to the same end-'"

"'You, who wish to safeguard the future, no matter what the cost," Minako continued. "'You will be given one year. Go forth without falter, with your heart as your guide,' right?"

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, that's it... so... maybe the butterfly is the creator of the Velvet Room?"

Yu shrugged and leaned back. "I have to admit, that butterfly is something all three of us have in common. We've all seen it sometime during our lives... and whenever I pointed out one to people, they saw nothing. But my friends... who were Persona-users... they could see them. But no one else could see the Velvet Room door.

Minako raised an eyebrow, confused. "That's the same for me. I could see the door, but no one else could..."

Makoto sat up. "So... maybe someone of a stronger force brought us together?"

Yu closed his eyes and thought. "You can't deny the possibility... but there's a lot we don't know. Though, I do find it a little hard to believe that a little butterfly has the power to do such things, to be perfectly honest."

Minako giggled at that. "Yeah, that might be true, but then again, there's a saying how big things come in small sizes," she commented, which brought some laughter from the silverette, who agreed with the redhead.

All the talk about what was happening after just coming back was making everyone tired after a while. Minako yawned and stood up. "Anyways, we have school in the morning, so... goodnight guys." With that, the peppy girl left the room and returned upstairs. Yu rubbed his eyes and stood as well.

"Gonna hit the hay?" Makoto asked. Yu smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Good night, Makoto."

Sitting up and returning to his bed, but not before closing his door, the young hero realized that this would be the first time in a long time since he's slept on an actual bed now. How did he not realize it when he had first laid down on it?

Either way, now the fatigue got to Minato and he finally succumbed to slumber, and allowed himself to dream of one of his memories.

* * *

**Well, that was the chapter. Thank you for reading. And please be sure to review as well. A single comment about the story from you brings us closer to helping improving the quality of our work.**

**Anyways, with the Dissidia fic out, we'll update that fic next, and then swing back to this one. Hopefully Shunto can actually do his stories without so much trouble like usual.**

**Well, that's it from me. Back to him. **

**CRRagna: I agree with bad luck. I've got lime disease, type 1 diabetes, ADHD, hypothyroidism and I suck at several academic subjects. But I digress. Anyway, we hope to see your thoughts and stuff. Thanks for reading.**


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